Arya News - Breanna Stewart leads comeback win for the record champions despite France’s early lead in the Berlin final.
The United States have won the Women’s Basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time, defeating a spirited France 97-79 in the final in Berlin.
Perennial red-hot favourites, having not lost a World Cup match since 2006, the Americans were below their best for much of the tournament before walking away with the trophy on Sunday.
USA trailed by two points at half-time to an energetic France side, but turned it on when it mattered, outscoring the Europeans 30-12 in the third quarter.
American veteran Breanna Stewart once again led from the front, scoring a game-high 22 points, while Jackie Young hit four crucial threes and finished with 18 points to extend USA’s record to 36 wins in a row at the tournament.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scored just one point in the semifinal, but chipped in with some crucial buckets down the stretch, scoring 12, including two threes.
USA’s power forward Breanna Stewart attempts a lay-up [Odd Andersen/AFP] Playing in their first-ever World Cup final, France were seeking revenge for their one-point loss in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but lost their composure as the Americans turned on the afterburners in the second half.
France’s Gabby Williams, the player of the match in their semifinal win over Germany, scored an impressive 16 points in the opening half, but added just four more after that.
USA, huge favourites who are used to dominating World Cups and the Olympics, came into Sunday’s game looking vulnerable, having come close to defeats against unheralded Italy and again against Spain in the semifinals.
No team had come within 20 points of France as they cruised into a maiden World Cup final and started strongly, ending the opening quarter with a three-point lead and running out to a 14-point lead midway through the second.
Forced to up the ante, USA fought back with Young hitting two quick-fire threes and Clark grabbing one of her own seconds before half-time, cutting France’s lead to two points.
USA were far more composed after that, with Clark finding her range from the field as the defending champions took the steam out of the match in the fourth as they kept the French at bay.
Earlier on Sunday, Spain soothed the disappointment of their narrow semifinal loss to USA by claiming bronze with an 81-58 win over Germany.
France’s forward and captain Gabby Williams applauds the fans after the final [Tobias Schwarz/AFP]